Why Do I Love Him
by xotakux2002x
Summary: konan asks an interesting question.to answer her, deidara recalls his and sasori's history in hopes of finding the reason why. sasodei yaoi
1. prologue

A.N.: yes people, i am fully aware that in the actual series, deidara lost a fight with itachi and was taken into the akatsuki after that. but, this is the marvelous world of fanfiction, so i can bend and twist reality however i see fit to do so! MWAHAHA!!! enjoy the story ^^

* * *

Konan walked into the living room to find a very somber looking blonde staring out the window and sighing to himself. She smiled and shook her head, before walking over to the young artist. "Deidara, he's not due back until tomorrow morning."

The sculptor jumped and turned around. "I-I know, un."

"Then why are you gazing out of the window like you're expecting him back at any moment?"

"I've got nothing better to do, un."

She shook her head. "Kid, you are hopeless."

"What's that supposed to mean, un?!"

Konan rolled her eyes. "Come on, Deidara. It's completely obvious; you follow his every move, anytime something bad happens you're sure to run to him, you act all somber when he's gone, and to top it all off, you call him danna every time you address him. You, my dear, are hopelessly in love with Sasori."

Deidara groaned. "How long have you known?"

"A few months. Quite frankly I'm amazed the others haven't figured it out yet."

The blonde rolled his eyes. "They're too busy screwing each other to pay attention to anyone else's relationship, un."

Konan laughed and sat down on the couch. "You've got a point there. But even so, it's pretty obvious. And not just on your part."

"Huh?" the blonde shot her a confused look.

"That Sasori has got to be the most protective bastard I've ever met. I'd hate to be the poor soul that ever tried to hit on you."

Deidara laughed. "Yeah, danna's pretty possessive, un."

Konan smiled to herself; she had the blonde right where she wanted him. "Hey, Deidara?"

"Yeah?"

"I wanna ask you something."

"Sure, un."

"Why do you love Sasori?"

"Hmm?" the blonde was taken aback. "What kind of question is that, un?"

"I seriously wanna know! Why do you love Sasori? Tell me!" she leaned forward eagerly, hoping the blonde would tell. There weren't any other members in the base, so now was the best time to get him to talk.

"Um, well…" Deidara had never really thought about that. _Why DID he love the cold hearted redhead so much?_ A flood of memories came to him.


	2. part 1

*Sniff, sniff* a small blonde boy was curled up in the corner of a room containing a small futon and a dresser. This was supposed to be a bedroom. To the child, it was a prison.

Deidara sat up, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. He shouldn't act like this; he was fourteen, and a boy, despite his looks. But working in a brothel could really get to you after a while.

He punched a wall in anger. He wouldn't have to work here, if it weren't for his damn father! That bastard had run up a huge gambling debt, and then skipped town. His mom had died a long time ago and Deidara was the only one left who could pay back the money. So, the debtors threw him in here to work it off.

Which, if Deidara's calculations were correct, would take about five years. If he got at least two customers every night.

The door opened, and Deidara felt a small shiver of dread go down his spine. _"No, calm down. Remember to smile; they sometimes tip you if you do."_

"Deidara."

The blonde jumped. No one had addressed him by his name since he'd arrived, and he never told any of the customers. So who the hell could actually know his name?! He slowly turned around-

And came face to face with the most beautiful redhead he'd ever seen.

The man stared down at him. "Well?" he asked in an annoyed tone.

Deidara's mind began racing. What did-"Are you Deidara?"

Oh, the man had said his name as a question, not a statement. "Yes, un."

The red head raised a brow. "Hold out your hand." Deidara did as instructed, and the redhead firmly gripped his wrist. He placed his index finger on the boy's palm, and moved it in a circle around the edge of Deidara's palm. The blonde shuddered as his handmouth involuntarily came out. His eyes widened and he tried to pull away, but Sasori refused to let go. Deidara was scared now; he tried to avoid letting the customers find out about his extra mouths. A man freaking out was how he ended up with an injury to one of his eyes, after all.

The red head seemed unfazed, and merely nodded to himself. "Handmouths. Yup, he's the one." The man released his grip and walked over to the window, peering out at the rooftops. He then turned and smirked at the boy. "Deidara, I'm going to make you an offer. Come with me and become a criminal, or spend the rest of your life here in this town as a whore. Your call." He folded his arms, awaiting the boy's answer.

"I want to come with you, un," Deidara immediately replied.

The smirk grew wider. "That's what I thought." He turned to the window again and kneeled down. "Climb on."

"Huh?"

The redhead groaned in annoyance. "You won't be able to run fast enough, brat, so I'm going to carry you. Now get on before I leave you."

Deidara quickly obeyed the order. "What exactly are you going to do, un?" They were on the third floor, after all.

The blonde could have sworn the stranger grinned. "This. Don't make a sound." Before Deidara could answer, the man climbed onto the windowsill and jumped out the window to land on a nearby roof.

Deidara's eyes widened as the redhead began to run, skillfully leaping from rooftop to rooftop. Deidara smiled at the exhilarating feeling, but remembered to keep quiet. Soon, they were outside the village.

The redhead kept running down the road for a few more miles, before finally slowing down and walking off the main path and into the woods. "I need to get something," he explained over his shoulder to the confused blonde. Deidara realized he could have walked and kept up with the man at this pace, but refrained from voicing this fact. After all, it had been a long time since he'd willingly been this close to someone else.

They walked a littler further, before the man stopped and let the blonde slide off him. "Stay here." Deidara did as he was told, allowing the red head to walk off. A few minutes later, the young boy heard a strange rattling sound, and saw a hulking figure moving towards him. Scared, he tried to turn around and run, but something froze his body in place. "Didn't I tell you not to move, brat?"

Deidara's eyes widened. "It's you, un."

He heard a sigh coming from the figure. "Yes, it's me. And don't address me as 'you', brat. It's Sasori. Got it?"

"Yes, un."

"Oh, almost forgot. Here." Deidara caught a bag as it came flying towards him. He raised a brow, but since Sasori said nothing he decided to open it. His eyes widened.

There was clay in the bag. Real, genuine clay. "Pein told me to give you that. He said you'd know what to do." The redhead explained.

Deidara plunged his hands into the bag, nearly crying at the wonderful sensation of earth between his fingers. His handmouths quickly began chewing the clay, fusing it with chakra. He hadn't been able to do this since they sent him to the brothel, for they feared he'd blow the place sky high (which he no doubt would have).

"We've wasted enough time here. Let's go."

Deidara nodded and followed the red head. "Where are we going, un?"

"Your new home."

--

Deidara couldn't help but stare when they reached the base. The place was huge, built into the side of a mountain, and pretty spooky. He inched closer to Sasori, suddenly scared. "Calm down, brat. This is the Akatsuki base, so you'd better get used to it." Deidara nodded and moved away, albeit still staying within five feet of the redhead.

The two walked into what appeared to be the living room area, stopping near the center. Moments later a man with an air of authority around him walked in. "I see you were able to find the kid, Sasori."

The red head nodded. "Yes. It wasn't that hard; your information was quite accurate, Pein."

The Akatsuki leader turned to Deidara. "What exactly are your skills with the clay?"

Deidara smiled as one of the handmouths spit the clay out into his palm. Finally, a chance to show off his art! He quickly worked it into a bird. "This." He threw the figure into the air, making it fly up several feet before blowing it up.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

Sasori and Pein both watched the display calmly. "So, it's true." Pein looked down at Deidara. "Congrats, kid. You're in the Akatsuki now. Your partner from here on out is Sasori." He tossed a cloak at the young teen and walked out of the room.

Sasori also turned to go, heading a different direction. "Our room's this way, brat." Deidara quietly followed the Akasuna down the hall and into a bedroom.

They walked in and Sasori shut the door behind them, before climbing out of Hiruko and walking into the room. "Um, Sasori…"

"Yes?"

"Why is there only one bed, un?"

"Because our banker is a cheap bastard who decided it would be more efficient to have one queen sized bed in each room than two normal sized beds. Something about saving on laundry bills, if I remember correctly. I sleep on the right hand side, understand?"

"Yes, Sasori danna."


	3. part 2

Deidara and Sasori were walking down a road, heading to Wave Country. The blonde was somewhat excited; this was the first mission he'd been sent on as a member of Akatsuki. He'd been so excited, he hadn't been able to eat that morning before they left.

Which in retrospect wasn't the best idea.

Deidara held his stomach. He was starving, but he wasn't about to tell his partner. He wasn't sure how the puppet would take the news; more than likely the young artist would get slapped or something. And his hunger wasn't all that bad; he'd been through worse in the whore house. He could probably keep quiet about it and hold out until dinner later that night-

His stomach suddenly growled, effectively shattering that idea.

Sasori turned around to look at his partner. "Brat, was that your stomach?"

The sculptor began to panic. "Um, well, it just-" another grumble cut off Deidara, making the blonde blush and hang his head.

The redhead sighed and turned back around, already continuing down the path. "We will stop at the next tea shop. You will eat, and then will we get back on the road. No arguments, brat…or else."

"Yes, Sasori danna, un."

--

True to his word they stopped at a tea shop. Deidara ordered some sandwiches and quickly ate them, knowing how much Sasori hated to be kept waiting. The puppet master had forsaken Hiruko for this little stop, and was sitting directly across from the boy, shooting him death glares. "Care to explain why you didn't eat this morning, brat?"

"I was just nervous, un," Deidara quietly answered as he looked away. A hand shot across the table and grabbed his chin, tilting his head up and forcing him to look at Sasori. "Make eye contact when you speak, brat."

"Yes, Sasori danna, un," he replied.

The redhead let him go and the sculptor promptly turned his head away, finishing his sandwiches. Years of life as a brothel whore had damaged Deidara's ability to look at others in the eye, prefering to keep his gaze locked on the ground and avoid any and all notice. "Please tell me you have a hair tie." _Huh? Where did that come from..._"Your hair's a mess, and it's covering your eyes. You'll never be able to see anything in battle, brat," Sasori explained as he reached across the table again.

Deidara realized that the puppet master was going to brush his hair out of his face and expose his damaged eye. He scooted back, just out of Sasori's reach. "I-It's fine," He whispered, not making eye contact. Realizing this, he looked up at Sasori. "I'll be fine, danna, un."

Sasori raised a brow but let it drop and got up to pay. "Stop calling me danna," he muttered while walking away. Deidara sighed. He was safe for the time being. He couldn't risk Sasori seeing the damaged eye under his hair; after all, the Akatsuki wouldn't have much use for a one eyed bomber, of that he was certain. He rose and quickly followed Sasori, knowing they'd be going at an accelerated pace to make up for lost time.

--

Deidara was panting heavily, his clay nearly used up. The security was a bit tougher than they had anticipated, and he had a lot less fighting experience than the attacking ninja. Fortunately Sasori had taken care of most of them, and Deidara had been able to catch a few off guard, blowing them to smithereens. The blonde looked around and saw nothing but dead bodies, save for his partner.

"Danna, I think we got them all, un!" Deidara called out happily as he ran to Sasori.

"DEIDARA!"

The blonde couldn't figure out what was wrong, until he felt a knife at his throat. "You little punk, I'm gonna-" the man never finished his sentence, because the next instant, he was run through by Sasori's stomach cable.

The sculptor felt his assailant's blood run down his arm, before he moved away and allowed the dead body to fall limply to the ground. "Thanks, dan-"

WHAM

"YOU IDIOTIC BRAT!"

Deidara looked at the ground, rubbing the spot on his head that Sasori had hit. There was going to be a mark, he was sure. "I specifically told you to tie back that damnable hair of yours before the mission! What the hell were you thinking?!"

Deidara's eyes remained glued to the ground, staying silent. "It's just…" he couldn't finish; he wished the man had killed him now. Anything had to be better than letting his danna find out how weak he really was.

"It's what? Answer my question, brat."

Sasori stepped forward, making Deidara unconsciously take a step back. "It's nothing, Sasori danna, un!" the puppeteer took another step forward, and Deidara took another step back. "Stay away, un!"

The puppet master smirked. "You're in no position to give orders, brat." He raised a hand, and Deidara realized what was about to happen a second too late. Before he had a chance to react, the chakra strings had attached themselves to his body. "Last chance, brat. Just tell me why you didn't tie back your hair." Deidara shook his head; he couldn't bring himself to say it, and his mind was unable to make up a valid excuse.

Sasori let out a sigh of frustration and forced Deidara to walk over to him, the blonde struggling every inch of the way. "What the hell's so bad you can't even tell me?!" He forced the bomber's head to tilt up, making the blonde hair fall back and partially away from his eye. "Hmm?"

Sasori brushed the rest of Deidara's hair away from his left eye, revealing the damage. He raised his brows in surprise as the sculptor averted his gaze. "This?" Deidara nodded, finally looking up and watching Sasori carefully as if to gauge his reaction.

The Akasuna didn't seem shocked or disgusted; that was two things in his favor. "Pein didn't say anything, so he must not know…" the puppet master muttered, more to himself than Deidara. Finally he released the strings and moved away. "We're heading back to the base now. I assume no one else knows about it?" Deidara nodded. "Let's keep it that way."

Once they arrived and got in their room, Sasori walked over to his closet and immediately began digging around inside it. "Lie down on the bed," he ordered. Deidara didn't even think about disobeying as he followed the Akasuna's order. A moment later, the redhead walked over to the bed, carrying a strange metal object in his hands. "I was going to use this on a puppet, but I think you'll need it more." He brushed Deidara's hair out of the way and frowned at the damaged eye. "Exactly how did this happen?"

Deidara looked away; he seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "Not everyone likes these extra mouths of mine," he whispered.

Sasori didn't press the subject, and turned his attention back to his work. Deidara felt a slight pressure, a stinging sensation, and "There."

Deidara sat up and looked around, amazed to find that he could see out of both eyes. "Danna, what did you do, un?" he asked in quiet amazement.

"I attached a scope to your eye. It's detachable, but you'll be completely blind in that eye without it."

The blonde smiled and pounced on the red head. "Thank you Sasori danna, un!"

The puppet master smiled. "Don't think I did this out of the goodness of my heart, brat." He grabbed Deidara's wrist and pulled him towards the door. "Come on, we're going outside."

The walked a short distance away from the base, before stopping in the woods. "Sit."

Deidara did as instructed. Sasori smiled and pulled out a knife. "Danna, what are you doing, un?" the sculptor asked nervously.

Sasori's smile grew wider. "I'm going to give you a much-needed hair cut. I'm sick of people telling me what a 'lovely daughter' I have whenever we go somewhere." He kneeled down behind Deidara. "Now hold still."

Deidara fervrently shook his head. "No! I like it long, un!"

Sasori placed a hand on Deidara's shoulder to hold him still. "All right, I'll keep it long! But you're still losing a few inches, brat." Deidara nodded his head in agreement and turned to face forward, wondering how much was about to be sliced off. Sasori gently grabbed a lock of hair and pressed the knife against it, slicing off at least six inches of it. He then moved back, allowing Deidara to feel the new length of his hair.

Deidara reached up and found that his hair now stopped just below his shoulder blade. Finding this an acceptable length, he let his arms fall to his sides, silently giving Sasori permission to continue his hair cut.

The red head finished a few minutes later. He then moved in front of the blonde and cut a section of his hair a different length than the locks in back. "I'm giving you bangs for the scope," he stated as Deidara opened his mouth to protest. "Because I'm guessing you're still self-conscious about it." Deidara nodded, and Sasori looked over his work. "Hold on one sec." He moved back behind Deidara.

The sculptor felt several sections of his hair pulled up, and then Sasori's fingers tying them up. One he was done, a small ponytail sat at the top of Deidara's head. "There. You can take it down if you don't like it, but personally I do." Wordlessly, the Akasuna rose to his feet. "Come on. Let's go." Deidara stood and followed, knowing that even if he didn't like the ponytail, he'd keep it.


	4. part 3

"Come on danna, let's go, un!"

"Brat, it will not kill you to go at a slower pace." Sasori sighed to himself, knowing that the perky blonde wasn't listening to him. It had been nearly two years since Deidara joined, and they were finally being sent on an assassination mission. Sasori had to admit, even he was in a slightly better mood; he was really getting sick of only being sent on retrieval and reconnaissance. But, Deidara had needed that experience before they were sent on anything else. Still, that didn't change the fact that he hated to wait for said experience to come.

The blonde smirked and formed a clay bird, gently tossing it into the air and letting it fly about thirty feet up before exploding.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

"Why do you waste your time on such garbage, brat?"

Deidara turned around, looking miffed. "It's not garbage, it's art, un!"

Sasori rolled his eyes. _Here we go again._ "Brat, if it were art, it would be eternal. And those explosions are short lived."

"That's what makes them art, danna!"

"And why do you still insist on calling me danna?"

Deidara broke out in a wide grin. "Because you're my danna, un!"

"What kind of explanation is that?"

"The kind you'll get from me, danna, un!" Deidara laughed and ran ahead. Sasori resisted the urge to smirk. The blonde had changed a lot since he'd found him. Deidara actually smiled and looked at people when he spoke. He was passionate about his art and life, not to mention a lot more carefree.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

If only he'd easy up on the damnable explosions. "Save your clay for our assignment, brat."

"Yes, Sasori danna, un."

--

"Dammit, these guys won't let up, un!"

Sasori would have answered but was too busy ripping an opponent to shreds. Deidara was right; these fighters were relentless. The blonde had already used up his clay and been forced into hand-to-hand combat, and Hiruko was badly damaged. Sasori was grateful they had been able to knock down the enemy numbers earlier, courtesy of a certain blonde's "art", but they were still outnumbered twenty to one. At best.

CRACK

Sasori winced at the impact. Hiruko would need more repairs from this fight than all his other puppets combined. It didn't matter that anyone who got close enough to the puppet died the next instant; the other ninja were whittling away at his defenses, and both groups knew this.

The blonde was holding his own, but the puppet master wasn't sure how long that would last, since the blonde was using mostly defend and evade tactics. He reasoned that Deidara was scared to fight so close to enemies; long range attacks were his specialty, after all. Sasori was the one who handled any ninjas up close.

That may have explained why Deidara was fighting so close to him. Seriously, if Sasori had stretched out Hiruko's arm, he could have grasped the blonde's cloak.

Still, the blonde was fighting pretty well. The numbers were down to ten against two. The red head's next attack dropped the numbers to five to two. Deidara moved closer to the puppet master. "Danna, hand me Hiruko's left arm, un," the blonde whispered.

"What? Why?"

"Just hurry, un!" Sasori raised a brow but did as he was told, detaching the limb and handing it to Deidara. To his surprise, Deidara removed the hand and pulled out a hunk of clay, which he quickly formed into two small birds. He smiled and chucked the creations at the attackers, blowing them to pieces before they had a chance to dodge it. "See ya, un!" Deidara yelled while laughing.

Sasori's eyes were practically bugging out of his head. "You put your clay in my puppet?!" He screamed in disbelief.

"Um, well-"

"And it was already fused with chakra! I could have been blown up if Hiruko overheated, you stupid brat!"

"But it didn't, so no harm done, un!"

"That's beside the point, you little-"

As the artists argued, they failed to notice that one of the "dead" ninja was rising to his knees, reaching into the pouch on his hip. "You bastards…" he muttered, grasping two knives.

"Danna, I'm telling you, it was an insurance measure, un!"

"Insurance my-" Just then, knives flew through the air, embedding themselves in the ground at the two artists' feet.

KSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Deidara was able to jump out of the way, but Hiruko wasn't that maneuverable.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM

Deidara's eyes widened in horror as the puppet was thrown through the air, before crashing to the ground with a sickening crack. He turned to the enemy. "DAMN YOU!" In his rage he ran over and stomped on the man's skull, crushing it beneath his heel. Once he was sure the man was dead, he rushed to the aide of the Akasuna. "Danna, un!" he cried, quickly flipping it right side up and undoing the damaged latches on Hiruko's side. "Sasori danna, say something!"

"Stop yelling, brat. It's annoying."

"Danna!" Deidara exclaimed happily.

"That's what you call me." The puppet master groaned, rising out of his battered puppet. "Look at this. I'll be repairing all this damage for weeks!" He moved to stand up-

CRACK

And instantly fell down. He looked over his body. Apparently Hiruko hadn't been able to absorb the entire blast, because his left leg was shattered. He rolled his eyes. Of course. "Sasori danna?" he looked up at Deidara, who had a questioning look on his face.

Oh, that's right, the blonde didn't know. "I'm a puppet, brat. Didn't you figure it out?"

Deidara shook his head, kneeling down. "What do you mean? What's wrong, un?"

"This." Sasori held up his leg, badly cracked and several parts falling off. Deidara's eyes widened at the sight; this was the first time he'd seen Sasori up close. The boy probably had no idea that the puppet master was a puppet himself. _"Here it comes,"_ Sasori thought._ "The shock, followed by horror, then rejection, then-"_

"Sasori danna, that looks bad, un! Can you fix it, or are you going to have to get a new one, un?! Wait, can you even replace your own parts, or will we, um-" Deidara began looking frantically around on the ground for hunks of the puppet. "I'll get the pieces, but I'm not sure everything's still usable, un. Maybe we should-"

"Deidara."

"Yes danna?"

The redhead's eyes were open slightly wider than usual. "Doesn't it bother you that I'm a puppet?"

"Should it?" The puppeteer wasn't sure how to respond to that. Never before had anyone had such a calm, _accepting_ reaction to his body. He finally settled for a small smile and a chuckle. "What, un?"

"Either you're very tolerant, or the dumbest blonde I've ever met."

Deidara pouted and smacked Sasori upside the head, wincing as he heard another crack. "Danna, what are you going to do, un?"

Sasori smiled bitterly. "Well, my leg's pretty much busted. The best thing for us to do is get back to the base so I can repair myself. I can put Hiruko in a travel scroll, but I think…"

"Yes?"

"That you'll have to carry me back."

Deidara stared, then grinned. "Sure, danna!"

"Stop calling me that," Sasori muttered as Deidara picked him up.

"Never, un!" the blonde declared happily.

Sasori couldn't resist rolling his eyes once more. "Brat."

"Danna."

"Shut up."

"Un."


	5. part 4

"Brat, are you even listening to me?"

"Yes, so stop calling me that, Sasori danna, un."

The artists were traveling to a small village, prepared to assassinate a leader of a gang who had made the mistake of hitting on Konan the last time she went on a mission. Reminding people who Konan belonged to always ranked above world domination on Pein's to-do list.

Sasori wasn't too worried about the mission itself. Deidara had been in the Akatsuki for over four years now, and had proven to be an excellent killer. He wasn't too bad at close combat, but long range was where his talent lay. All in all, the sculptor had definitely earned his reputation as an S-rank criminal, and was an excellent partner in battle.

When he paid enough attention to the red head to know who to blow up.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

The red head rolled his eyes and sighed. Deidara always said he was listening. And then he'd always ask what they were supposed to do approximately five minutes before the mission. The blonde was completely hopeless.

They entered the town and arrived at the hotel early that night. The artists groaned when they saw that there was only one bed in the room. Damn that brat's feminine looks and figure. Since they couldn't do anything about it, they settled for letting the matter drop and unpacking. "Danna, what are we doing, un?" Right on cue.

"You'd know that if you had been paying attention earlier, brat."

Deidara shrugged. "Sorry, un. The scenery was just more interesting, un."

"What would happen if I decided not to tell you anything, hmm?"

"You'd be screwed, 'cause you need me for this."

Damn, the brat had a point. "All right, but this is the last time I do this. You need to listen next time," Sasori said for the thousandth time.

Deidara smiled. "Yes, Sasori danna."

--

"I can't believe how stupid you are!"

"I said I was sorry, un!"

The duo had arrived back at their room, and Sasori was in an awful mood. Deidara had let the fight get out of hand and set off a large bomb. The problem was, several of Sasori's puppets had been within range of the blast.

"Two of my best puppets, vaporized, and half a dozen damaged beyond repair! It's bad enough that you insist on playing with that trash, but did you have to destroy my art?"

"It's not trash, it's art, un!"

"Oh save it, I'm not in the mood to argue with a little brat." Sasori grumbled, walking over to a chair and sitting down.

"Don't mock my art and just expect me to let it go, un!" Deidara was pretty laid back most of the time, but making fun of his art definitely crossed the line.

"In case you haven't noticed, I really don't give a damn about your opinions or 'art' right now, since it's what destroyed mine!"

Deidara knew he should have dropped it right then, but refused to do so. "I don't care, un! You've got no right to always treat me like I'm a damn dog, Sasori danna, un!"

The puppet master glared at his partner. "Shut the hell up. I don't want to hear another word out of your mouth. Why don't you step outside and clear that empty little head of yours?"

Deidara clenched his fists and turned to the door. "FINE, UN!" And with that the sculptor stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Sasori rolled his eyes and began fixing his puppets.

Deidara sighed angrily and quickly walked down the streets, not really knowing or caring where he was going. Perhaps his rage prevented him from noticing the men following him, until one of them spoke. "Well, well, if it isn't little Dei-chan." He froze. It had been a long time since anyone used that name.

He looked around and saw about half a dozen ninja surrounding him, all sporting stone headbands. "What the hell do you want, un?"

A tall man, probably the leader, stepped forward. "Come now, Deidara. Did you actually think they were just gonna let you go with that huge debt on your back? Not smart on your part." The men snickered and began closing in on the sculptor.

Deidara frowned in mild annoyance; this day was just getting better and better. "Look, asshole, I'm in a bad mood, and it's my dad that owes you the cash. Why not just hunt him down, un?"

The man snickered. "Hate to break it to ya, kid, but we already did. That bastard died a year ago, drunk as all hell."

Deidara smirked. "My, how tragic. Send my regards when you see him in hell, un!" And with that, Deidara chucked an unsculpted wad of clay at the men, bolting before it exploded. _"I hope that got them; the rest of my stuff's back in the room with danna…"_

_--_

Sasori was tinkering with his puppets in their room, grumbling under his breath. "Damn that brat; he better not come back for a while. I'll probably wring his scrawny neck if he does."

--

Unfortunately for Deidara, the bomb had barely scratched his pursuers. There were fast on his heels, and didn't seem to mind using semi-lethal force to bring him down.

"Ahh!" Deidara cried out and winced as a knife pierced his calf. Dammit, he couldn't lose these bastards no matter what he did!

"Stop resisting and we'll go easy on you!" the leader called out, obviously enjoying the chase.

"Not a chance, un!" Deidara yelled, hurling the knife that had pierced him back at its owner.

"Your funeral, kid." The man threw yet another knife, and Deidara saw too late what was stuck to it.

KSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Uh-oh.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM

Deidara knew the blast had hit him before he felt it, and was soon falling through the air. If he hadn't been in so much pain and scared for his life, he would have found the situation rather ironic.

His body hit the ground with a thud; the wind was knocked out of him, but the fall hadn't been bad enough for him to break anything. Still, he was going to have several lovely bruises when he woke up tomorrow.

If he lived that long.

The men jumped down and surrounded him, their leader chuckling slightly at the sight before him. "I'll give you this much; you're pretty good, kid."

"I'd say just plain pretty," one of the other men called out.

Deidara inwardly rolled his eyes. _"Great, I've been chased by a bunch of perverts."_

"Hey boss, we're dragging the little bitch back to the whore house, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I think the slut may be a bit out of practice, you know?"

Deidara's heart sped up. _"What?"_

"I think you're right. What say we fix that problem?"

The subordinate grinned. "I like that idea."

Ok, Deidara had heard enough. He forced his body up and tried to stand, but the leader moved forward with lightning speed and pinned him back down. "Where do you think you're going?"

Deidara was too scared to answer. The man chuckled and slid the artist's shirt off, using the fabric to tie his hands behind his back. "STOP, UN!"

The stone nin only laughed. "You're in no position to be giving anyone orders, brat." Deidara felt tears come to his eyes as his pants were removed, but refused to let them spill over. Without another word the captor roughly entered him, making Deidara scream.

"Dammit, he's tight!" he started thrusting, making Deidara scream more. "Someone shut him up!" Deidara saw a flicker of movement before someone shoved a rag into his mouth, nearly gagging him but muffling his cries. At that point, things went hazy.

Deidara was only vaguely aware of the other ninja, his body reacting with jerks and squirms to the pain, but he couldn't really feel it. The men were moving, but he couldn't actually distinguish them anymore. Another one entered him, but he wasn't certain if he let out a scream or not. _"To feel but be disconnected. This must be how it is for Sasori danna."_ Another flicker of movement, another one inside him. Deidara had no idea how much longer this torture would last. _"Better get used to it. I'll be in no shape to fight my way out of this when they're done. Sasori'll probably end up waiting for hours before he figures out I'm not coming back. I'm sorry I'll keep you waiting danna…" _More movements, more pain, but Deidara was beyond understanding or caring.

Suddenly, he saw a flash and heard one of the men scream, his blood splattering across the ground. Another flash of red, and Deidara was moving. _"What's happening now?"_ He tried to focus, and was able to see blood red. _"Hmm?" _Why was he seeing red? The movement stopped, and a familiar face turned to him.

Sasori.

The red head yanked the gag out of his mouth and began yelling at the blonde, looking pissed. Deidara couldn't hear the words; only see his partner's mouth open and shut, forming the sentences. _"He looks pissed. I'm so sorry danna." _The edge of his world was fading away. "I'm sorry, un." Everything went black.

--

Deidara woke up back inside their hotel room. For a moment he just lay in the bed, eyes shut tightly. He wished he could just forget what had happened; it had brought back too many bad memories to count. As he lay there, he slowly became aware of a soft, musical sound. _"Hmm?"_ He concentrated, and realized that someone was _humming_. Curious, he tried to sit up.

That brilliant idea ended with a stab of pain and a small scream.

Almost immediately the humming stopped and a familiar red head stepped into view. "About time you woke up."

"Danna-"

"Shut up. That was just pathetic, Deidara."

"Huh?!" the blonde sat up again, shock pushing away the pain.

"You heard me! It was just sad how easily they were able to overpower you! You're an S-class criminal, and half those ninja weren't even jounin! What the hell happened, brat?!"

"I didn't have my clay, un." Even to Deidara the excuse sounded pitiful.

Sasori snorted. "You didn't have your clay. Of course. It's bad enough that you call that trash art, but you can't even fight without it. You idiot, you should have grabbed it before you left, but that kind of planning is a bit above your brain power, isn't it?"

Tears flooded Deidara's vision. "Why the hell are you being so cruel, un?!"

"To make sure you don't forget this! If it weren't for me, you'd be half way back to Iwa by now!" Sasori turned and walked to the door. "I'm going out. If you know what's good for you, you'll stay here, brat." The red head slammed the door shut and was gone.

Deidara couldn't move for a moment. He just sat there, shaking, a few tears running down his face. He curled his hands into fists and punched the mattress. _Dammit, what the hell was Sasori's problem?!_ Deidara threw back the covers and jumped out of bed, crying out and clutching the wall for support at the newest surge of pain. "Dammit, stupid body!" He grabbed his clay pouch and walked over to the door. "I'm gonna find the bastard and beat his face to a splintery pulp, un!"

Deidara had wandered through nearly the entire village and had yet to see a single sign of the puppet master. How hard was it to find one living puppet in a town this small?! He was near the edge of the village, about to turn back, when he heard a blood-chilling scream. Curious, he picked up his pace and ran in the direction of the sound.

The yell led him outside the village and into the woods nearby. The screams were much quieter now, but growing more frequent. Deidara got closer and closer, and finally saw an outline of a figure. He immediately ducked behind a tree and hid his chakra, before moving slightly closer and stopping, hiding low in a nearby bush. His eyes widened.

The pieces of his attackers were scattered all over the ground. 'Pieces' was the only word that could describe their corpses now; they had been torn apart, blood coating the ground, body parts indistinguishable from one another. Another scream made Deidara turn his attention away from the morbid sight, and towards the screamer. His eyes grew even wider.

Sasori was holding the stone ninja leader from earlier by the collar. Both men were covered from head to foot in blood, but there was little doubt in Deidara's mind that all the crimson liquid on Sasori belonged to the others, while the leader was no doubt covered in his own blood. Sasori began to speak, his words cold and dripping with malice. "What the hell were you thinking, you twisted bastard?"

The man began to struggle, and the pointed tip of Sasori's stomach cable slashed at his side, tearing out a hunk of flesh. The man screamed again, and this time Deidara understood why. "Pl-please, I was just following orders-"

"Since when do orders include raping your captive?!" Sasori hissed, slashing at the man again, this time creating a large gash down his arm.

The man cried out in pure agony. "I'm begging you, just let me go! I-I swear, we'll never come after him again-"

"Oh, I'll make sure of that." Only then did Deidara notice that the puppet's cloak lay on the ground, exposing the blades hidden in his back.

Slowly, the deadly weapons began to spin, and the man's eyes widened. "Please, don't do it!"

"Begging didn't help your friends, and it won't help you." The blades accelerated, and the man struggled for all he was worth.

"Why?"

Both artists were dumbfounded. "You…did not…just ask that."

The man saw a chance to buy time, and kept going. "Why hunt us down and torture us like this? You could have easily just killed us from far off, and not gone to all this troub-"

"Is that all?" Sasori brought his face close to the stone nin's. "I'll make it simple. You bastards knew what kind of shit he's been through. You tied him up, raped him…and laughed about it." The blades were nearly touching the man's skin now. "And for that, you monsters deserved every second of this torture." The redhead was done talking, and Deidara watched in awe and horror as his assailant was sliced into pieces, screaming bloody murder. When the puppet master finished, only the head remained intact.

Deidara expected that to be it, and turned to go. "Damn you to hell." He froze, thinking Sasori had spotted him. He slowly turned around, and saw that the Akasuna was glaring at the decapitated head. "You just HAD to find him the one time he was vulnerable, didn't you?" he placed his foot on the head. "The one god damn time he didn't have his art, the one fucking time I made him mad enough to leave me, he gets hurt!" the red head applied pressure to the cranium.

Deidara raised a brow. _"What?"_

"If I had been there-no, if I hadn't gotten so mad in the first place, he would have been safe with me, and none of this would have happened!" the puppet master was shaking. "Dammit to hell, this is all my fault! You bastards, how the hell am I supposed to look him in the eye now?!" the foot came down hard, and Deidara heard a crunching sound similar to when a child kicks a pumpkin. Sasori stomped on the cranium until it was a bloody mass of bone and brains. The Akasuna clutched his own head in his hands. "What the hell do I do now?" Deidara decided to leave then, and disappeared without a sound.

--

Sasori came in several hours later. Deidara lay on his side, his back to the door. He kept his breathing low and even, and his eyes were shut, giving the illusion that he was asleep. He heard his partner approach the bed but made no sound or movement. He didn't trust himself to speak to Sasori right now, after everything he had seen.

The red head stopped near the edge of the bed. It took all of Deidara's willpower not to jump when he felt a hand stroke his head. "I'm sorry, Deidara." And without another word the puppet master crawled into the bed, his back turned to his partner. Both artists fell into an uneasy sleep.


	6. part 5

Deidara and Sasori got up the next morning and headed straight back to the base. An uncomfortable silence filled the air, but Sasori showed no desire to speak, and Deidara wasn't exactly in a talking mood. And so, the trip back to the base was the quietest one either of them could remember.

They quickly checked in with Pein, giving their report but leaving out the details of Deidara's 'incident', before heading back to their room.

Deidara tossed his bag in the direction of his closet before sighing and flopping down on their bed. _Home sweet home._ Sasori began unpacking his bag, ignoring his partner. The silence had returned after their report, and it was driving Deidara crazy. "Sasori danna?"

"Hmm?"

"Look, I just-" a knock interrupted Deidara.

"I'll get it," Sasori stated, rising from his chair and walking over to the door.

He opened it to reveal Itachi. "Pein wants to see you." Sasori followed Itachi out of the room, leaving Deidara alone with his thoughts (or lack thereof).

As it turned out, Pein had a solo assignment for Sasori, which would take about a week. "Danna, why do you have to go so soon? We just got back, un!" Deidara whined when he heard the news.

"Look, brat, my body doesn't tire out like yours, so I don't need days to recover after a mission like you do. I'm going, I'll be back in a week, and that's final. Understand?"

"Yes, Sasori danna." Deidara's eyes were glued to the ground, a habit he thought he'd grown out of.

The puppet master walked over and tilted his head up, a bored look on his own face. "Kindly try to avoid any more incidents while I'm gone, ok?"

"Yes, danna, un." Sasori walked out of the room without another word.

--

Deidara had nothing better to do while Sasori was gone than mope around the base. Days passed, and Deidara just couldn't break free of his mini-depression episode. Itachi attempted to talk with him during the time, but the bomber just couldn't really pay attention to anything the Uchiha said or did. To put it simply, the blonde was zoned out.

As Deidara walked down the hallway one day, he began thinking about what he'd say to Sasori when the redhead got back. He had absolutely no clue what to do; part of him told him to apologize, another part wanted to thank the puppet master for saving him, and still another part wanted-"Deidara."

"Huh?" he looked around and saw Itachi standing in the doorway of his room. "Oh, sorry, un. Were you talking to me, un?"

"Only for the last five minutes. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, un."

"Why don't you come inside for a little while?" Itachi motioned for Deidara to come into his room and, after finding no valid excuse to say no, the sculptor accepted the invitation and walked in.

Itachi and Kisame's room looked a lot like Deidara and Sasori's, minus the puppets, poisons, and smell of clay. "Where's Kisame, un?"

"He's out training. Now explain what's wrong."

Deidara saw that there was no way out of it and sat down on the bed, sighing. "It's Sasori danna. I'm trying to figure out what to say when he gets back, un."

"You guys have a fight?"

"Yeah, un. And I think he's still mad, un."

Itachi shook his head and sat beside Deidara. "I don't get why you care about that guy so much. He always treats you like dirt, he rarely spares a kind word for you…face it, Deidara, he's a total bastard to you."

"I guess…"

"You know, you really deserve so much better."

Deidara felt Itachi grip his wrist. "I-Itachi, un?"

"So much better…" Itachi was leaning closer now, his face mere inches away from Deidara's.

The blonde yanked his hand free and stood, moving quickly towards the door. "I-I've gotta go, un."

He almost made it to the door when Itachi grabbed him, spun him around and slammed him into the wall. "Deidara…"

The sculptor began to struggle. "Let me go, un!"

"Or what?"

"I'll blow you straight to hell, un!" Deidara's clay had yet to leave his side since the rape incident, and he was grateful for that fact now.

Itachi smirked. "I wouldn't recommend that. Look at how small this area is; you'd no doubt kill us both."

_"I don't care,"_ Deidara thought as he fused his chakra with the clay. _"It'll be a rainy day in hell before I let anyone touch my body again."_

"So I suggest you just relax and enjoy this," Itachi lightly kissed Deidara's neck.

The blonde struggled, pushing against Itachi. "Get off, un!"

At that moment, the door opened. "Itachi, have you seen-WHAT THE HELL?!"

"DANNA!" Deidara cried, using the distraction to pull free from the Uchiha and lunge at Sasori.

Much to both Deidara's surprise and his own, Sasori's arms wrapped around Deidara's thin frame protectively. "Itachi, what were you doing?"

Itachi shrugged. "Nothing much. The kid didn't seem to mind."

"Why do I find that hard to believe?" Sasori asked as he glanced down at the shaking and whimpering blonde.

The Uchiha rolled his eyes. "What the hell's it to you? You hate the little brat, and if he can't even defend himself-"

"Deidara, go to our room." Sasori pushed the sculptor away.

"What? But dan-"

"Brat, go to our room. NOW." Deidara recognized the tone as the same one that had been used by the Akasuna when he spoke to the Iwa ninja. The blonde nodded and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. As he walked down the hall, he heard several shouts and the sound of breaking glass.

--

Deidara began pacing nervously around the room, scared. Dammit, he'd actually had his clay this time, but he'd still almost been raped! He really was pathetic. _"Sasori danna's gonna hate me for this, I know it."_ Deidara decided to leave for a while; maybe a few days of no annoying blonde would calm the puppet master down.

Deidara leapt out the window and took off, grateful for the cool air and full moon. He ran deep into the forest, intent on finding a hiding spot. Of course he was unable to find a cave; didn't things like this always happen to him? He settled for a small clearing near the base of an oak tree, not even bothering to make a fire. He was too tired to worry about food or heat, so he simply stretched out, deciding to go to sleep.

Until he felt a familiar chakra signature approach.

He quickly masked his own chakra, hoping Sasori hadn't noticed yet. _"Damn danna, do you want to hurt me that much?"_ The red head was coming closer and closer, and finally stopped not ten feet from the blonde's spot. Deidara dared not move, but wished he'd found a better hiding spot beforehand. "Deidara?"

Silence

"Deidara, I know you're around here. Now say something before I have to start looking for you the hard way."

More silence

"You've got until three, brat. One, two-"

"I'm here, danna."

It was barely a whisper, but Deidara knew Sasori had heard it, because the next instant the puppeteer was crouched down in front of him, an unreadable expression on his face. "Why'd you take off, brat?"

Deidara curled up into a ball, refusing to answer. Wasn't it obvious?

"I'm waiting, brat." Apparently not. Deidara heard Sasori give an exasperated sigh. "Deidara, what the hell is it? Just say something, dammit! What the hell's wrong?!"

"I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Sasori raised a brow. "Why are-"

"I'm sorry I'm so weak, I'm sorry I always make you mad, and I'm sorry you have to put up with someone you hate, un!" Deidara's voice cracked as he finished speaking, tears flooding his vision.

Sasori stared for a moment, then tentatively reached out his hand to touch Deidara's head. _"Well, at least he answered."_ He began stroking Deidara's head. "Calm down, Deidara."

"I'm fine, un," Deidara whispered as tears gently ran down his face.

"And that's why you're sitting in the middle of the woods, crying." Deidara looked hurt at the words, and his tears fell faster. _"Crap, I made it worse!"_ Sasori moved closer, still stroking his partner's head. "Look, Deidara, I'm not sure what made you flip out, but if you want to be away from me, I understand." He retracted his hand and stood. "I'm gonna go back to the base...Deidara?"

WHAM

"OOF!" Sasori grunted as the blonde tackled him, making them both land on the ground hard.

"Don't go, danna!" Deidara sobbed, tears streaming down his face as he clung to the puppet master.

"Ok, ok, I'll stay! Just clam down," Sasori quickly replied, wrapping one arm around Deidara's waist and using the other hand to rub small circles into his partner's back. Deidara eventually stopped his crying and Sasori sat up, holding Deidara close. He was able to scoot to a nearby tree, and reclined against it as he held the blonde to his chest. "Now, want to tell me what this is all about?"

Deidara looked up at the redhead. "You told me to avoid anymore accidents before you left, but then you came home, and Itachi was all over me, un. I thought you'd get mad, so I was giving you some time to cool off, un."

"Well, that's a valid excuse," Sasori muttered. "Now, what's this about me hating you?"

"I always make your life hard, un. We can't agree on anything, and nothing I do ever goes right. It makes sense if you hate me."

"You really are a natural blonde, aren't you?" Deidara looked at Sasori, cocking his head to the side. "In case you haven't noticed, you're the only person I really give a damn about. I couldn't hate you if I tried, Dei." It took a minute for the sculptor to process this thought, and when he did, fresh tears welled up in his eyes. Sasori began to panic. _"Dammit, what did I say now?!"_

Deidara suddenly wrapped his arms around Sasori's neck, nearly strangling the red head with his hug. "Do you really mean that, un?!"

"If I say yes, will you let me breathe?" Sasori gasped.

"Sorry, un." Deidara released his death grip and smiled. "Do you?"

"Yes Deidara, I do. Why are you crying?"

Deidara smiled as the tears fell. "Because I'm so happy, un! I thought you hated me, and that really hurt because I really l-" he clamped a hand over his mouth and hurriedly crawled away from his partner, blushing furiously all the while.

This was interesting. "You what, Deidara?"

"N-Nothing, un."

Sasori grinned wickedly. "Oh, I think it's something, Deidara." He raised a hand, and Deidara groaned as he felt an all-too-familiar pressure on his body. Damn chakra strings to hell. "Are you gonna answer, Dei?" Sasori raised his hand, pulling the blonde closer. Deidara didn't even bother to struggle; it wouldn't have helped. Sasori pulled them closer together, and now mere inches separated their faces. The Akasuna and blonde locked gazes for a brief moment. Suddenly, Deidara felt the chakra strings leave his body, as Sasori used his arms to pull Deidara down into a kiss.

The contact was brief, and Sasori soon broke away, in case his assumption had been wrong. Now it was Deidara's turn to pull his partner into a kiss, determined to make this one last longer. Sasori happily returned the kiss, wrapping his arms possessively around the sculptor as Deidara's hands traveled up into his partner's hair. When they pulled away, both were panting and smiling. "Was that what you were trying to say?" Sasori asked.

"Yes, un," Deidara nodded, grinning widely. He grabbed Sasori's hand and pulled them up off the ground. "We need to go back, un."

"Yeah." They began to walk back to the base, Sasori's hand tightly gripping Deidara's.

"I wonder what Itachi's doing…" Deidara mumbled thoughtfully.

The Akasuna grinned. "Probably picking pieces of the vase out of his hair."

Deidara's eyes widened. "You broke a vase over his head, un?!"

Sasori nodded. "Yup. Right after I threw him into the wall, but before I chucked him out the window." Deidara's jaw dropped. "Oh, relax. He hit his head on a tree on the way down, so he shouldn't remember any of it when he wakes up."

"That's not what I was worried about, un," Deidara groaned, making Sasori chuckle.

"No one touches my Dei-chan and gets away with it." Deidara smiled at the way Sasori said his nickname; it wasn't cold or mocking like how others said it, but full of love and endearment.

"Danna?"

"Hmm?"

He gently kissed Sasori on the cheek. "I love you, un."

"I kinda figured that, after the make-out session in the woods."

"Danna!"

Sasori kissed Deidara gently on the lips. "Sorry. And I love you too."


	7. part 6

Sasori almost regretted telling Deidara how he felt.

It wasn't like he had lied or anything; the blonde was his whole world, and he was overjoyed that the sculptor returned his feelings.

It was just, well…to be perfectly honest, Sasori thought the blonde was fucking hot. Emphasis on fucking.

And that thought (and many others that were more perverted) had led to countless inner battles for the puppet master. On one hand, he wanted to fuck Deidara senseless. On the other hand, given the blonde's "history", if he tried something like that, Deidara would probably push him away for all eternity. A difficult battle, to say the least.

Sasori growled and shook his head, as if that would make the answer suddenly come to him. What was he to do?! "Danna?" the redhead turned around in Hiruko to look at his partner. The sculptor looked like he was ready to collapse. "Can we stop soon, un?"

Sasori nodded. "We'll stop at the next town, brat."

"Don't call me that, un!"

"Fine, we'll stop at the next town **Deidara**. Better?"

The blonde grinned. "Much, un."

--

The first thing Deidara wanted to do when they entered the town was eat. Sasori sealed Hiruko inside a traveling scroll and walked into the restaurant with his partner. Once there, they quickly ordered ramen for the sculptor and began watching the other customers to pass the time.

As soon as he got his food, Deidara picked up the bowl and practically inhaled the noodles. Sasori raised a brow, smirking. "Hungry, Dei?"

"Un," was all the sculptor said before returning his attention to the food. He quickly finished and turned back to Sasori. "Danna, may I have some dango, un?"

"Sure," Sasori answered absent-mindedly. He motioned for the waitress and ordered the dessert, staring blankly out the window at the village they'd stopped in. _"Not too many ninja, so Deidara and I should be safe. Still, we should probably leave early-"_

"Wow, this is yummy, un!" Sasori turned to his partner at the exclamation. His eyes widened.

Deidara was eating his dessert. Or, more precisely, wrapping his tongue delicately around each soya ball, eyes half shut, a look of pure bliss on his face.

Sasori quickly rose and walked away from the table. "Danna?"

"I'm going to pay. You can take that with you," was all Sasori said as he walked away while trying desperately to suppress an oncoming nosebleed.

--

As soon as the artists reached the hotel room, Sasori ran into the bathroom. The blood spewed from his nose as he shut the door. _"Phew, just made it." _He pinched his nose and tilted his head back. _"Damn that blonde for looking so sexy! I don't know how much longer I'll be able to control myself." _After a few more minutes the red head was finally able to stop the nosebleed, and walked back into the bedroom.

Deidara was sitting on the bed, undressing. He pulled off his shirt and stretched his arms above his head and began twisting about, his eyes shut, squeaking and unknowingly showing off his slender frame. He opened his eyes and smiled at Sasori. "Danna!"

SLAM

Sasori glared at the bathroom mirror, desperately trying to stop the blood gushing from his nose. _"FUCK!"_

_--_

It took him longer than usual to stop this nosebleed, and by the time he exited the bathroom Deidara was under the covers of their bed and sound asleep.

The puppet master walked over to the bed and climbed in, looking down at the sculptor. Deidara's hair was out of its usual ponytail, and his mouth had formed a small smile. _"He looks like an angel…"_ Sasori unconsciously moved his body closer and closer to the blonde, until they were practically touching. Their faces were separated by mere inches, and the puppet master desperately wanted to ravish the blonde. _"Control yourself, CONTROL YOURSELF!"_ Sasori gently pressed his lips to Deidara's, unable to control his body.

The sculptor groaned and began stirring, opening his eyes slowly. Sasori noticed and quickly pulled away. "Danna, un?" Deidara muttered sleepily.

"What?"

"Why'd you kiss me, un?"

"No reason. Go to sleep, brat," Sasori muttered, lying down so his back was facing Deidara. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his torso. "Why don't I believe that, un?" Deidara whispered into his ear. Sasori shuddered. The blonde was definitely making things worse.

The sculptor paused, as if he were thinking, before sliding his hands down Sasori's body. The puppet master realized too late where they were headed, and failed to stop them before they reached their destination. "Sasori danna, you're hard, un."

"Thank you for stating the obvious," Sasori growled, sitting up and slipping out of Deidara's grasp.

The blonde stared up at him for a moment, before sitting up as well and crawling into Sasori's lap to straddle him. Ok, if Deidara didn't stop soon, they were going to have a big problem. "Danna, why didn't you say something to me, un?"

Sasori sighed and looked down at the confused sculptor. "Look, Dei…" _Dammit, how was he supposed to say this?! _"I love you. I love you more than anyone or anything else in the world. And I'm really attracted to you. I guess that's pretty obvious by now. But, I know about the kind of….history you have with this stuff, and I don't want to hurt you." Sasori was blushing; why the hell was saying that so hard?!

Deidara stared at him for a moment, before tears welled up in his eyes. "See, I hurt you," Sasori said, his hand moving to wipe the tears away.

"How?"

Sasori froze. "What?"

"How can you want me like that, un?" Deidara brought his hands to his face, tears dripping from the crevices between his fingers and falling onto the sheets. "After all the people that've had me, after all the times this body's been used…how can you still want someone as tainted as me, un?" he dropped his arms and looked at his partner, pain and confusion all over his face.

Sasori blinked, then lovingly wrapped his arms around the sculptor. "Because you're my Dei-chan, and I'll love you no matter what kind of past you've had."

Deidara started, then raised his arms and embraced Sasori. "You mean that, Sasori danna?"

"Of course."

"Well then, danna…" Sasori noticed the change in tone and looked down at the smiling blonde. Deidara suddenly crashed their lips together, arms moving to wrap around Sasori's neck.

The redhead quickly got over the shock and returned the kiss, pulling Deidara closer and allowing his hands to travel up and down the blonde's sides. He pushed against Deidara, causing them to fall onto the bed with the sculptor pinned underneath him. Deidara didn't seem to mind the change of position; in fact, judging from the soft moans slipping out of his throat and the way his back was arching off the bed, he rather enjoyed this.

When they broke away, Sasori looked into Deidara's visible eye. "Dei, you sure?"

"Yes danna," Deidara answered, panting. "If it's you I won't mind, un."

"In that case…" Sasori brought their lips together in a teeth-crashing kiss, surprising the blonde. Deidara closed his eyes and slid his arms up the puppet master's body and into his hair, tangling his slim fingers in the red locks. He felt Sasori bite his lower lip and slowly opened his mouth, pushing his tongue against Sasori's. A brief tongue battle ensued, before Deidara became gave in and allowed his partner to take full control of his mouth, exploring every nook and cranny and pressing his hot tongue against the sculptor's.

Deidara shivered as the Akasuna lightly ran his hands over the blonde's feminine frame. He couldn't remember the last time anyone had taken so much care with his body. Unconsciously, his hands released their grip on Sasori's hair and slid down to grab the red head's shirt, pulling it off quickly.

The puppet master noticed this. _"He must be getting impatient."_ Sasori grinned and pulled away from their kiss, feeling himself grow hotter as he looked over the flushed blonde. "Sasori danna…"

The red head lightly brushed his lips against Deidara's before moving away, kissing the soft skin along his neck and biting down near the base of the blonde's throat.

Deidara cried out at the sensation, moaning as Sasori gently kissed down his body, stopping above his waistband. Deidara's eyes widened as he felt the puppeteer yank his pants and boxers off in one swift movement, before blowing cool air on his hardening member. He watched as Sasori smirked up at him and sat upright, plotting. _Hmm? What was_- the blonde cried out as _something_ cold and wet penetrated him.

He began panting and looked down. Sasori's hands were currently gripping his waist, so he had no idea what was inside him. He carefully looked over the red head; his eyes, chest, waist- the blonde's eyes widened at the sudden realization.

Sasori had pushed his stomach cable inside the blonde.

"Danna?!" the blonde's eyes went wide with fear; he knew the cable was normally coated with poison.

"Shh," Sasori whispered, leaning in and kissing his trembling partner. "It's all right. There's nothing toxic inside you, I promise." Deidara relaxed at the words and kiss; he trusted the redhead.

As soon as he was used to the feeling, Deidara began fidgeting, and Sasori moved the cable within him. The sculptor couldn't help gasping; he was used to body parts of flesh and blood inside him, so the cold metal was a new sensation. He screamed as Sasori brushed against a spot inside him that made stars dance across his vision. The Akasuna raised a brow and repeated the action, receiving another scream from his partner. "There, un," Deidara whispered, small lines of sweat running down his flushed face.

Sasori retracted his stomach cable and spread Deidara's legs further apart, positioning himself at the blonde's entrance. "Ready, Dei-chan?" A short nod was his answer. Slowly, Sasori thrust in.

Deidara arched his back and gripped the sheets beneath him, knuckles turning white. He looked down at Sasori. "You don't have to be so gentle, un."

Sasori smirked. "Fine then." He pulled out and quickly thrust back into the blonde.

Deidara cried out and moaned as the puppet master built up a steady rhythm, thrusting hard and fast into the sculptor. The blonde was gasping for air, body writhing and dripping with sweat. This was the first time he'd willingly let anyone inside him, and it felt _wonderful_. His body was getting so hot, and he knew he couldn't hold on much longer. "SasoRIIII!" he screamed as he climaxed on their stomachs, body going limp.

The red head felt his lover tighten around him and came inside Deidara, moaning his name softly.

For a few minutes, all they could do was pant for air. Finally, Deidara forced his body off the bed and sat up in Sasori's lap, kissing the puppet master. Sasori wrapped his arms around Deidara and returned the gesture, carefully lowering them onto the bed. "You feel ok, Dei-chan?"

"Yeah, un," Deidara answered, smiling and snuggling closer to his danna. Sasori smiled back and held Deidara against his chest, heart still hammering. The blonde was exhausted, and began drifting off. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he heard the sound of soft humming. He opened his eyes and looked up at Sasori. "Sasori danna, what's the song, un?"

The puppeteer would have blushed if he still had that capability. "It's just a lullaby. My mother used to sing it, and when she died my grandmother sang it to me."

Deidara snuggled into the crook of Sasori's neck. "I like it, un." The red head was silent for a moment. Deidara was about to say something, but he heard the song again. Smiling, he fell asleep as the red head sang (not hummed, _sang_) the lullaby.


	8. epilogue

~~~~~~~~~~~~~back to the present~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Deidara, wake up!"

"Hmm?" Deidara blinked and looked at Konan. "What is it, un?"

"You've been staring off into space for ten minutes! Now answer my question! Why do you love Sasori?!"

Deidara thought for a moment, then smiled. "I guess I love Sasori danna…because he's my danna."

"Huh?" Konan shot him a confused look. "What kind of answer is that?"

"The kind you'll get from him," a voice called out. The two Akatsuki turned and saw a familiar figure in the living room doorway.

"DANNA!" Deidara cried, leaping to his feet and running at the puppet master, glomping him. "I thought you weren't coming back until tomorrow, un!"

"I came back early," Sasori answered, stroking the blonde's hair. "And I'm tired as hell." The redhead turned and began walking towards the artists' room, with Deidara following behind. Konan shook her head at the sight. She gave up.

As soon as they got into their room, Sasori dropped his bags and walked over to their bed, climbing in. Deidara undressed and followed suit. "You don't have to go to sleep now, Dei."

"I want to sleep with you, danna, un."

Sasori rolled his eyes and spread his arms apart, allowing Deidara to curl up against him. He hugged the sculptor and buried his face in the blonde locks, relishing the silkiness of the hair and unique scent of his partner that he'd missed so much. "Danna…"

Sasori looked down and saw a pleading look on the blonde's face. "What do you want, brat?"

Deidara smiled and kissed his lover on the cheek. "My song, un."

Sasori chuckled and ran his fingers through the blonde's hair. He brought his lips close to the sculptor's ear and began singing very softly. By the time he finished, Deidara was asleep. Sasori smiled and gave the sleeping artist a chaste kiss. "I love you, Dei-chan."

"Love you too, Sasori danna, un," a sleepy blonde mumbled. He drifted back to sleep as the puppet master gave him another kiss.


End file.
